Minister defends closure of Scotland's only crude oil refinery Grangemouth refinery ceased producing crude oil for the final time yesterday, owners Petroineos has confirmed. Politicians in Scotland have argued the government has acted unfairly by saving the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe, but letting the oil refinery shut with the loss of 430 jobs. It also means Scotland no longer has any working oil refineries. Steve Reed, the environment secretary, says the government has invested £200m in retraining workers so they can take on jobs when the refinery becomes a distribution and imports hub. He tells Sky News: "We need to make sure the people who are losing their previous jobs can get trained up to take advantage of the new jobs coming in." Pushed on why the government did not go further in saving Grangemouth using emergency legislation - as was done in Scunthorpe, Reed adds: "We're transitioning away from dependence and import on fossil fuels, but we will need steel for the future. That's the difference." The minister also points to how mines were shut by Conservative governments in the 1980s and says there was a lack of investment in retraining workers. "We're never going to repeat what the Conservatives did under Margaret Thatcher, we're investing to retain and reskill people to the jobs of the future. "Our job is to support those working people and the families that they depend on, so that they have the skills for the jobs that are coming." Challenged on whether the government is forcing a transition to green energy, Reed says energy prices have shot up in the UK because we have been "too dependent on fossil fuels". He adds that changing to other forms of energy will mean "we're not dependent on petrol chemical dictators any more", in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.